Sail control device



Dec. 9, 1952 H. MELGES 2,620,760

SAIL CONTROL DEVICE Filed Dec. 20, .1948

Patented Dec. 9, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAIL CONTROL DEVICE Harry Melges, Zenda, Wis. Application December 20, 1948, Serial No. 66,200

Claims. (01. 114 1os I The present invention relates to sails and more particularly to sails used on pleasure craft, such as racing sail yachts and the like.

Sails in common use on pleasure craft today, and especially those sails which have the luff or leading edge secured to a mast, are predominantly of the triangular type having three sides only. It often becomes necessary to reduce the area or size of a sail, as when due to excessive wind conditions, and this can only be done by lowering the sail and reefing it-a method of reducing sail area which has remained unchanged for generations-or by substituting a smaller sail. Both methods take considerable man-power, and often are hazardous to the crew members involved. Furthermore, a boat which is sailing with or away from the wind can safely and efiiciently carry more sail area than when it is sailing close hauled or tacking into or toward the wind. Thus, when a boat is sailing close hauled in an excessive wind, it should reduce its sail area to gain efiiciency and forward driving power, and if the wind velocity decreases or the boat changes its course so that it is no longer sailing'close hauled it is desirable to increase the sail area.

The usual system of reefing a sail is time consuming, hazardous, injurious to sails, and requires considerable man-power. When racing, sail boats often sail a three legged course, one leg of which is opposed to the direction of the wind and'requiring close hauled sailing and tacking, and. the other two legs consisting of sailing away from the wind and with the wind abeam or at right angles. A sail boat can safely and efiiciently carry more sail area on the latter two legs than it can on the close hauled leg, and if itis advisable to reef the sails on the close hauled leg, as it often is, and restore the sail to its full size for use on the other two legs it can readily be seenthat; there is much valuable time, energy, and effort consumed, plus danger to personnel and damage to sails. An additional problem to racing sailors is the fact that, when sailing close hauled in'a strong wind, a relatively fiat sail is more efiicient than a fully formed or 'drafty sail having considerable belly, but when sailing away fromthe wind,'or with the wind at right anglesto the course of the boat, the reverse is true and the fully formed drafty sail is then the more eflicient with resulting increase in boat speed- "(The Objects, of my. invention are to overcome such objections as just noted by providing a sail having means to alter its shape and deflect the air flow thereon so as to render a portion of the sail inoperative, when desired, and without resorting to thenecessity of reefin'g. The present invention offers most of the advantages of a reefed sail when close hauled and none of the disadvantages. Anotherobject is to provide a sail having means for controlling and altering its draft or curvature so' as to increase or decrease the amount of draft at will to conform efficiently to varying wind conditions;

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in'theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction, within the scope" of the claims, may bere'sorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a boat with a sail embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a similar view wherein my invention is shown inmodified form.

The present invention may advantageously be applied to a sail S of the type incommon use, having three sides, the'leech x, the luff l which is slidably secured to a mast M, the foot 1 which is secured to a boom 3, and three cornersthe tack 'I', the clew C, and thehead H. The leech a: may contain the usual stiliening battens Ill which are held in place by fabric pockets in the. customary manner. The function of the battens is to keep the, curved roach r portion of the sail from collapsing inwardly. A sheet rope s which extends between the boom B and a cleat v on the boat deck serve to hold the boom in a desired adjusted position.

The features which are special to my invention comprise a guiding means which may take the form of a narrow flexible strip H secured to one side of the sail 'S, as by sewing its side edges thereto. This guiding strip extends from a point at or adjacent the head H to the foot I at" a point which is spaced inwardly from the clew C. A flexible cord I2 of wire, rope, 'or other suitable material is secured to the head portion of the sail and extended downwardly parallel to the sail slidably through the tunnel or pocket formed between the strip andthe sail S, and upon emerging from the lower end of the strip passes through a pulleyl 3 which is secured to the boom B and substantially in line with the strip as shown in Fig. 1, and thence to a' cleat [4 also secured to the boom where its free end is made fast.

When the cord is tightened, by taking in on the free end, the curvature or belly of the sail S is reduced and brought more nearly into a fiat plane along the line of the cord, and this has the effect of allowing the after portion l5 of the sail which lies to the rear of thecord and which contains the battens and. comprises the roach r, to slacken and sag, away to leeward in response to wind pressure, thus removing it from a position of resistance to the wind, which resistance is further diminished because the wind is defiected outwardly and away from the after portion I5 of the sail. The effective sail area is thereby reduced to that portion of the sail which lies forwardly of the cord.

The strip may optionally be extended along the sail S through a curved line bowedaway from the leech as shown at 2! in Fig. 2, and when the cord 22 is tightened it will reduce the amount of draft or belly by stretching the sail rearwardly away from the mast and towardthe-straightened cord. This provides an excellent means of controlling the draft or curvature to suitthe wind conditions, thus increasing the air flow efficiency of the sail. The cord may be secured at either end and adjusted from the opposite end. Fig. 1 illustrates my preferred method whereby one end of the cord is secured to the head H of the sail and is adjusted from the lower end adjacent the foot f of the sail. Fig.2, on the, other hand, shows this in reverse with one end of the cord 22 attached to the boom B, thence extended upwardly adjacent the, sail to a pulley; 23 at the head H,'then downwardly adjacent the mast to a cleat 24 where it is adiustably secured. Likewise both ends may be 'adjust'ably secured for convenient handling. at the op on of the operator. Fig. 2 also illustrates add t onal means of retaining the cord 22 adjacent the sail as for example by rings Y25. and eyes 26.

From the foregoing description and discussion, it will be seen that my invention simultaneously serves two outstanding useful and desirable functions by (a) providing a sailv having flexible means whereby the curvature and air flow propertiescan .be uicklyadjusted and adapted to suit varying ind conditions and. (12) prov d n a sail having means whereby part of the sail may easily and quickly be rendered inoperative for the purpose of lessening wind resistance thereto.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not a reefing devicealthough it partially achieves thesa-me result. The distance of the cord at thepoint where it meets theboorn B from the clew C of, the sail, and the amount of curve followed by the strip when it is sewn to the sail, must, of necessity, vary with the siz of the sail, the amount of roach curve, the length of battens, and the amount of draft or belly built into the sail, as all these factors must be ooordinated to attain maximum sail efficiency.

I claim:

1. For use with a sailing-boat having an upstanding mast and a boom extended rearwardly therefrom, a triangular fore and aft sail having a head, a luff, a foot, and a leech, the luff being secured to the mast and the foot to the boom, a flexible cord having one end portion secured to the boom extending upwardly medially ofthe luif and leech to the sail head thence downwardly adjacent the mast to the lower 'end portion thereof, meansfforadjustably securing the free end of the cord, and means on the sail for re- 4 taining the cord parallel to and adjacent the sail for susbtantially the full distance between the sail foot and the sail head with capacity for endwise movement of the cord relative thereto.

2. For use with a sailing boat having an upstanding mast and a boom extended rearwardly therefrom, a triangular fore and aft sail having a head, a luff, a foot and a leech, the luff being secured to the mast and the foot to the boom, a flexible cord supported at the head of the sail and extending downwardly therefrom parallel to and adjacent one side of the sail medially of the luff and leech thereof to the boom and nearer the rearward end thereof, means for adjustably securing the lower end portion of the cord to the boom, and an elongated strip of flexible material extending from the head to the foot of the sail and having its longitudinal edges secured to the sail so as to enclose thecord therebetween.

3. For use with a sailing boat having an upstanding mast and a boom extended rearwardly therefrom, a triangular fore and aft sail having a head, a luff, a foot, and a leech, theluff being secured to the mast and the foot to the boom, a plurality of rings secured to the sail extending in a line from the sail head dgwnwardlyinedially of e 1111i an le qhto' he ail obtl. a flexible cord u pq ted at he a head an e ten n w war he e m hrou h th r n t t boom, and means for adjustably securingthe lower end portion of the cord to thebcom,

4. For use with a sailing boat having an up.- standing mast and a boom extended rearwardly therefrom, a triangular fore and aft sail' having a head, a luff, a foot, and a leech, the luifbeing secured to the. mast and he fo-otto the boom, a flexible cord supported at the sail head and extending downwardly therefrom medially of the luff and leech to the bo.om,.means'for adjustab'ly securing the lower end portion of the cord tothe boom, and, means on the sail, for holding the cord parallel to and adjacent the sail for substantially the entire distance between thesail head and the sail foot with capacity for endwise movement of the cord. E

5. For use with a sailing boat. having an upstanding mast and a boom extending rearwardly theerfrom, a triangular fore an aft sail having a head, a luff, a foot, and a leech, the luff being secured to the mast and the foot to the boom, a flexible cord supported at the head ofthe' sail andextending downwardly therefrom parallel to and adjacent one side of the sail mediallyof the luff and leech thereof to the boom and nearer the rearward end thereof, means for adjustably securing the lower end portion of the cord to the boom, and means on the sail for retaining the cord parallel'to and adjacent the sailfor substantially the full distance betweenthe sail foot and the sail head with capacity'forendwisemovement of the cord relative theretof HARRY M Lc-Es.

REFERENCES CIT-ED- The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED start PATENTS; 

